South Bend has few options for dealing with troublesome properties

The Wooden Indian Motel where the officers were shot is no stranger to trouble. Last year, police responded to more than 100 calls there.

The city recognizes there is a problem here, but says right now legally it can't do anything about it.

Police have been called there for things like drugs, weapons and aggravated assault but here's the catch: The city says the problems are with the people who stay here, not the owner himself.

In fact, the owner, Ronald KoehlerÂ?s motel license with the city was just renewed in February after the motel passed building and fire inspections. The city attorney says right now the motel meets the minimum code requirements.

Â?If you have a place that attracts certain kinds of individuals that are inclined to cause a problem, we right now don't have the specific tools to say you as the owner are responsible for the acts of somebody you rented to," said Chuck Leone, the South Bend city attorney.

The requirements to hold a motel license date back to 1962. The city says it will make it a top priority to look into changing those requirements, perhaps making them stricter or making the owner more responsible for the tenants. But those changes could take months.

In the past, the city has bought other problematic properties or torn them down, but as of Wednesday they haven't looked at that option.

City officials say there would be a lot of factors involved like cost and available funding, but it's something they could look at.

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